Entering the Forest

Caden woke with a start. Sitting up, he looked around the empty tent for a few short moments before giving a yawn and standing up. Washing his face and putting on his robes before grabbing his staff and heading out the tent. It seemed everyone was already up and packing the camp to finally head in the forest. Caden walked around and found Lucian talking with Demetrius and Noros, so the boy walked over to them to see what the plans were.

"So we'll tie some ropes to connect each wagon and carriage to allow us to keep track of everything in the fog. We shouldn't lose any of them this way, so long as we stick close and make sure each driver steers exactly like the wagon ahead." Noros explained.

Lucian nodded. "Right, and I'll stay at the front of the caravan and guide us. I'm the only one that's traveled through the forest before, and I have a spell that can dispel the fog in front of us a short distance. It'll be enough."

"Make sure we don't lose any wagon, Noros! Each wagon carries my valuables, and I intend to turn a profit when we reach Kingsrock." Demetrius commanded his guard leader sternly. Noros only scoffed.

"You're the one that wanted to come to this gods forsaken forest! Don't blame me if anything goes wrong, because I warned you beforehand." With that, Noros spit on the ground and walked off fuming. Demetrius wasn't much better and began to shake his fist angrily.

"And I pay you to do your damn job! Don't forget that so quickly..." He spat. Turning and giving an apologetic nod to the Wizard and then went back to organize his caravan. Caden then walked up beside Lucian.

"So, will I be up front with you?"

"No, you'll remain at our carriage and near Terrian and the men. I won't be that far and I'll occasionally come back to check up on you, so don't worry." The Wizard told him reassuringly.

"I don't need you to come check up on me like I'm a baby. I can handle myself." The boy retorted with a grumble. Giving his master a glare as he began to turn and walk off before a hand held him in place by the arm.

"I know you can protect yourself now, but I'm not bending on this. I already know what's out there, and I'm sure it will be watching us at least part of the way. I can't take that risk." Lucian said and then let him go. Caden just sighing and walking back to the carriage. The Wizard shook his head and continued to think. His eyes scanning out into the fog before him as the last of the caravan loaded their tents and gear.

"This will be a long day..."

...

The caravan finally finished preparing and moved out. The column began to slowly enter the dirt path leading through the forest as each wagon slowly disappeared into the ever-present fog. A rope had been attached to each wagon tautly to make sure everything was in order as they descended into the woods. Slowly, they passed through the forest path, sometimes winding around a large boulder formation, or a hill, cliff, and other obstacles. It was silent. Too silent. Other than the hushed whispers of conversation happening along the column, Caden couldn't hear anything but the wind rustling between the trees and plants. He kept his nerves by practicing his mana control exercise to keep his mind off it and the monotony. Occasionally also studying the Arcane Missile tome.

Eventually, Terrian approached and climbed up on the carriage to keep him some company, or perhaps he wanted some better conversation himself that his men could hardly provide. Caden smiled thankfully.

"How you holding up?" The centurion asked.

Caden shrugged, looking out into the fog. "I'm fine, I guess. It's just quiet."

"Too damn quiet, if you ask me." Terrian said grimly. "Now I've been in lotsa forests before, and I've always heard 'something'. Whether it be crickets, or birds, or some kind of hare rustling in the bushes. But here...I can't hear none of it." Terrian said, visibly unsettled.

Caden nodded slowly, agreeing. "Perhaps the shapeshifter killed or scared everything off. It's got to survive somehow if it's alive, right? I guess it still needs to eat." Caden theorized as he looked back out into the fog. Terrian thought for a moment and shook his head.

"That might explain the missing hares and birds and other small critters. But what about the bugs? I wouldn't think the shapeshifter could eat all of them too, right? There should be thousands of 'em everywhere in a forest like this."

"...You're right. Maybe...maybe it's not to do with the shapeshifter. Maybe..." Caden paused, looking at a nearby tree. It looked...wilted. Like it was lacking something vital. He glanced back at Terrian profoundly. "Maybe it's the forest itself. It's like it's dying...even the plants are the same here. There's something off about these woods. I just can't place my finger on it." The boy said, eliciting a frown from Terrian as he knit his brows deep in thought. Looking around to the closest plants and trees near the carriage.

"I think so too..."

...

Deep in the woods, a dark shadow stirred again. Slowly beginning to traverse through the trees as it followed the command it was given. It picked up speed as it went. It's body language getting more and more feral as it thought at what was at stake. Inhuman cries of misery escaped it into the surroundings to softly echo as the trees and plants almost seemed to part for it, as if welcoming their brethren.

"It's almost time...just a little longer, my sweet..."

...

Lucian cast his spell once more as the fog receded about 10 meters in front of the lead wagon where he was currently sitting. He hadn't seen anything troubling yet, but he kept his mana sense active, capable of seeing most of the caravan faintly. The further out his mana sense got, the more vague the picture he sensed. So he would occasionally get off the wagon and walk around to fill in the blanks and then head back to the wagon and cast his spell again. Noros would occasionally patrol up close to him as well and they'd share a few words. So far, nothing had gone wrong. Nobody had gone missing yet, and none of the wagons or carriages were missing either. They'd been making steady progress and Lucian estimated they'd be about a quarter of the way through by the end of the day. This also meant they had at least another three days after this until they left the confines of the forest. A lot can happen in three days. Lucian grimaced as he thought back on his last encounter in these woods.

Eventually, the sun began to slowly set as darkness descended onto the caravan. They traveled a bit further until Lucian found a suitable clearing to set up camp with his mana sense just a few miles up the path. As they approached he called the caravan to a stop in the clearing and began to head over to Demetrius' carriage.

"We're setting up camp here. Best clearing we can find for the night, so go ahead and get the caravan working. While you're all doing that, I'll be setting up a small enchantment around the campsite to keep the fog away and alert me if anything that isn't human enters. Get Noros to set up watch. If anything is gonna happen, it would likely be at night." Lucian quickly commanded and then left Demetrius to his own vices to go and check up on Caden.

Caden was slowly unpacking their tent as Lucian approached. Terrian had already gone back to organize his men and set up a palisade around their tents like they did every night. It usually went quick, as they didn't need to chop down any trees. They just commandeered one of the empty wagons Demetrius had and reused the already treated wood from the previous palisades. It definitely helped Caden sleep more soundly at night, and perhaps he began to come around to Terrian's choice.

"After you're finished with the tent come find me. I'm going to be working on an enchantment, and It'd be good for you to learn it too." The Wizard then walked to the middle of the campsite after grabbing his bag.

Caden quickly got to work, not wanting to miss it as he finished in just under 10 minutes and rushed over to find Lucian while hearing the guardsmen heaving different wood spikes into place around their sub-camp. He caught up to Lucian as he saw his master knelt down while placing a few magic gems into a specific pattern in a circle formation. He looked up briefly as Caden approached and gestured to him to come over. The boy complied and stood leaning over him to study it.

"This here is an improvised enchantment I'm making with a mix of spirit magic and ceremonial magic. You see these white gems?" He asked the boy, who nodded. "These are wind element gems that I'm using to push the fog back. They're in this specific order, in a circle, in reference to the campsite. It should get the whole camp with this current spacing between the gems. Of course, I could get it farther, but we'd need more mana. We need this enchantment to last all night too, which is why I'm only giving it this spacing." Lucian began to instruct the boy as he explained how it worked. Getting the boy to kneel down occasionally to place the next pieces.

"So each inch between the gems will be about one yard of extra range. But how will we connect the gems? This isn't like a normal enchantment. There's no mana ink." Caden questioned curiously, looking to Lucian.

"Correct. Instead, I will use some of my blood. That's why I said I'd be using spirit magic in this formation. I need two things from my blood. My lifeforce to act as a link between the wind gems and the formation, and I need it because I'm a human. This enchantment will alert me through my spirit if anything that isn't human enters the confines of the camp. Plus, a Wizard's blood is perfect for transferring the mana." He said finishing his lecture, before getting out a small blade within his robes and cutting his wrist and dropping the blood into a small wooden bowl from his bag. After that, he cast a light element spell of healing to close the small wound in an instant.

"Now, I connect each gem in the formation with my blood, and the enchantment should activate." He said and then began to slowly create a line of his blood to each gem, connecting them one by one until the final piece fell into place. Slowly, a soft white glow began to emit from the wind gems and through the bloody lines in the dirt, lighting up the blood as well, turning from red to white.

"Wow..." Caden gasped in admiration.

He had learned the basics of enchantment and of the other schools back in the Tower, but the Wizard's never fully taught initiates. They were supposed to wait until they became apprentices and learned from their master. He was excited to see the effect as Lucian placed his remaining things into his bag and stood up. Just in time too, as a soft breeze began to travel through the camp from the formation and corral the fog to the edges in every direction. The members of the caravan looked around and gasped. Demetrius had already told everyone so they'd been prepared, but they couldn't help but be relieved. They wouldn't have to worry about the fog at nights from now on.

"Alright, there's nothing else to see here. Go ahead and take my bag back to the tent and get something to eat after. I have a feeling we'll all need a good rest for the coming days."

"Right. I'll save you some stew, don't wait too long to come get it." Caden said and walked off. Lucian nodded before scanning the new perimeter of the fog.

"Let's hope it's enough..."